Criminal Justice Economic Policy and Innovation Fellow

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a philanthropy that supports research to understand the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. By focusing on systemic change, AV is working to improve the lives of American families, strengthen their communities, and promote their economic opportunity. Since Laura and John Arnold launched their foundation in 2008, the philanthropy has expanded, and AV’s focus areas include education, criminal justice, health, infrastructure, and public finance, advocating for bipartisan policy reforms that will lead to lasting, scalable change. The Arnolds became signatories of the Giving Pledge in 2010.

Position Overview

AV’s Criminal Justice (CJ) team aims to make communities safer and make the criminal justice system fairer and more effective, based on high-quality research evidence. The CJ team works with experts from inside and outside government and across disciplines to reform the U.S. criminal justice system through research, evidence, testing innovative pilot programs, and policy change.

The CJ team is keenly aware of the role that market inefficiencies, market failures, missing markets and misaligned incentives play in creating barriers to a fairer and more effective criminal justice system. Unequal access within the system and misallocation of resources, for example, are issues in the criminal justice system that arise as a result. The team is eager to explore policy development and private market solutions in this space. Accordingly, the team seeks a Fellow to lead the development of this portfolio of work.

The CJ Economic Policy and Innovation Fellow can be based in any of Arnold Ventures’ three offices: Houston, New York City, or Washington D.C., and reports to the Vice President of Criminal Justice Policy.

Core Responsibilities

• Drive strategy development and execution in partnership with the Vice President of Policy, the Executive Vice President of Criminal Justice, and Arnold Ventures’ Board of Directors
• Conduct research and analysis to inform strategy and project development; analyze policy developments and their impact; operationalize regulatory and legislative frameworks; engage key policymakers and provide technical assistance
• Develop and manage relationships with new and existing grantees, key stakeholders, and experts; deepen the grantee pipeline
• Identify and develop charitable investment and grant recommendations for AV’s Board of Directors
• Oversee charitable investments, grants and partnerships, and draw lessons from them to inform strategy and future projects
• Collaborate with the CJ Research, Advocacy, and Communications teams, to ensure the policy team’s goals are advanced in states and nationally
• Collaborate with other AV teams to explore and develop cross-cutting opportunities
• Manage consultant relationships
• Other duties to support the team’s work, as needed

Term

The CJ Economic Policy and Innovation Fellow will be in a regular, full-time position and eligible to participate in Arnold Ventures’ benefits plan. We anticipate that the CJ Economic Policy and Innovation Fellow will be appointed for a two-year fixed term.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in economics, public policy, business or another relevant field
• 7 years of relevant work experience in economic policy, state or local public finance, venture capital or private equity, consulting, or a similar role
• Interest in applying economic insights about incentives and market forces to the criminal justice system
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, drive progress, and deliver outcomes through creative, solution-driven problem solving
• Thrives in uncertain environments, quickly adapts, and confidently handles ambiguity
• Clear alignment to the mission and goals of both AV and the CJ team with a relentless drive to contribute toward their success and make a meaningful impact through this body of work
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to craft concrete solutions and communicate those solutions both to content experts and to diverse, nontechnical audiences

The salary range for this position will be $145,000-$200,000.

Benefits Overview

AV is committed to providing a robust and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our current benefits package includes 100% paid employee premiums for medical, dental, vision, basic life, and short- and long-term disability insurance; 20 days of paid time off, 16 paid holidays (including a winter break from December 24 to January 1), a hybrid policy that includes four days in office and one flexible day for remote work, and a summer schedule with alternating Fridays off beginning on Memorial Day and ending on Labor Day; paid parental leave; a 401k retirement savings plan with an employer match, profit-share contribution, and immediate vesting; pre-tax transit benefits; a professional development stipend; a charitable giving stipend; and an employee assistance program.

Our Culture and Core Values

Our culture seeks to inspire and empower our people to innovate and develop bold ideas that will help AV achieve lasting impact. Our culture, and the core values that support it, should create an environment that spurs our team to think outside the box, feel comfortable pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and signal confidence in our team’s ability to make change happen through our philanthropic efforts. Although not an exhaustive list, below you’ll find examples of AV’s work culture.

• We are adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity
• We are intellectually curious, open-minded, objective, humble, collegial, and receptive to feedback
• We are action-oriented with strong self-direction and self-motivation skills with the ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects
• We are able to interact confidently and collaboratively with team members and navigate relationships with external experts, government leaders, advocates, and individuals

AV’s values reflect who we are as an organization, help us accelerate our strategic goals, strengthen our resolve, anchor us to our mission, and guide our decision-making. The successful candidate will also demonstrate the following core values that inspire the AV team to make a difference.

• Respect for Ourselves & Others
• Audacious Action
• Collaborative Engagement
• Depth of Thought
• Clear Communication

AV is an equal opportunity employer, committed to an inclusive workplace. We are seeking applicants from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of experiences and perspectives. Candidates who have been impacted by the systems we are seeking to change are strongly encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, military/veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.